kenzie

page. 273

page. 175

Mrs. Danvers makes the Heroine feel as though she was a rebound and isn’t loved by Maxim. Saying she will never replace Rebecca and that Maxim is still in love with Rebecca. But what both women have yet to realize is that Maxim killed Rebecca because he hated her so much. But because the Heroine had no clue of this she almost convinced herself that what Mrs.Danvers was saying was true. She almost convinced herself to jump out of the window.

page 20

This passage initially didn’t make too much of an impression on me, but now returning to it after finishing the book this behavior that Mrs. Van Hopper shows was the start of a pattern within the unnamed woman’s life. Mrs. Van Hopper is the first toxic/ self centered woman we meet in this book. She is a wealthy american and the unnamed woman is her traveling companion. Shortly after the start they end up in a hotel where the heroine meets a man named Maxim de Winter. He proposes shortly after their meeting. Maxim and the Heroine leave together to Manderley, his anscestral estate.

Reading the work.

Why I chose this book and why I found it interesting. Originally when looking for my book I went through tons of websites ranking the best fiction books and then I scanned all of google scholar for critisicm. I couldn’t find anything that interested me. Then I asked Rachel and she had a list she made of interesting books that also have a good audio book on youtube. Rebecca immediately drew me in. The cover looks like some old abandoned stairs that have moss growing in the cracks. It seemed mysterious so I looked it up. It talked about a girl marrying a man whom she bearly knew. Of time that is dead but not forgotten. Seemed spooky and fun. And surprisingly I found lots of criticism. Seemed too good to be true. The only issue was that I had to battle Kelli for the book. Wasn’t too hard of a battle because I had already foolishly bought the book which ended up being to my advantage.

“The Toll of the Sea” - Sally Wen Mao

I found the way she wrote very interesting. It was as if she had synesthesia. she experiences sort of a color-graphemic synesthesia that allows her to experience things that for her are tied to color, that others without this experience wouldn’t see outright but can comprehend. for example “ WHITE the color of the master narrative’ ‘RED the color of the shore that welcomes’ ‘ WHITE the color of the screen before Technocolor.” these comparisons aren’t ones you would often think of.

Sally reminds me of an artist named Billie Eilish. she also experiences synesthesia in a similar way. Her lyrics “cold as a knife” are comprehedable because we know that metal can be cold but we wouldn’t necessarily think of a knife when we think of cold. Normally we would think cold as ice or such. It’s a fun and new perspective that reminds us that everybody experiences everything differently.

“Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles”

- Sally Wen Mao

This piece is very sad and dreary.

“the sign outside your hostel

glares: Ride alone, ride alone, ride

alone— it taunts you for the mileage

of your solitude”

It shows whoever the you is, doesn’t have much community or togetherness. Not sure if by choice or not, but they are alone. They are annoyed because they feel nagged by the sign. Taunting them for not being with someone. I cited this line because it’s a huge tell towards the title and main theme within the book.

The title talks of riding alone for a long distance. This distance could be life. And how we just stay lonely as the world rotates. We need nothing more or less because nothing else does. Our direction is but one. We don’t change our compasses. Should we?

This lonely cycle won’t break. We don’t have the courage to disturb the universe. This poem reminds me of the Prufrock writing. The man is like this person in some ways. Except that maybe the you in this poem wants change but doesn’t know how to just stop and walk another direction.

“No Resolution”- Sally Wen Mao

“The cover of the magazine. I throw it open. I throw it out. “ I chose to start off with the first line, because it has a heavy meaning that you wouldn’t catch at a first glance. A magazine covers an area of interest. But it seems the narrator isn’t interested. We come to find out that she was in fact an interest herself. She knows, but she won’t speak. Not because we don’t want to know, but because if we hear it we will turn her off.

This poem is about a black man (an educated guess) who was shot. And his daughter who is getting heat in the journalist community. They try so desperately to make her talk. Rile up a response just to fill the magazines. People love the newest gossip/ the latest word. But it must be new and interesting. Something that revokes an emotion or excitement. But this is different, we see a woman who lost her father. She knows his story, but they do not. they know of a tragedy that peaked their interest. They see “pixels blurred like smudges in the skin” not a man. Not a father, or a husband, but pixels. A harsh reality that people don’t want to face. They blur the truth, turn it off, and throw it away. It no longer exists if we don’t look. But to the girl, with the real story. she won’t speak until someone is ready to her the truth. Until they are ready to see the man. The father, The husband. For he is real, and the story is truth. We must stop sticking our heads in the sand because what’s above is still there even if we can’t see it.

The poem is titled “No Resolution” and I think Sally chose this to amplify the fact that if we continue the way we are moving, we will never resolve our problems or see our truths. She is quite the realist.

“Ovaria”- Tjawangwa Dema

Today I’m cheating on my poet for another boo. This poet is similar to my poet in the sense that they are both relavent women in society today. Their type of writing is very intuitive and enlightening. Their writing differs in how they see topics due to their difference in perspective. This is because of their different cultures and upbringing. For example, Sally Wen Mao was born in China but grew up in boston; so she has an interesting perspective from the start.

“Blowing my insides upside down

An umbrella in the wind

Too busy believeing

In dreams”

I was under the impression that the person who is speaking is using the umbrella as a metaphor to show that the wind/change is making them so uneasy that they cannot function. They are too caught up in the dreams/fantasies of life to see the world for what it is/ the real truth.

I chose this quote, because I love the comparisons shown. It’s perfect imagery, because if you have ever opened an umbrella on a windy day it flips inside out and the spokes break. This works well for a person feeling uneasy and flipped. They seem too distracted to do what they should.

The speaker seems distracted but coming back to their senses. The tone is very dry, solemn and serious. The speaker gives great advice nonetheless.

“Anna May Wong Rates the Runway” - Sally Wen Mao

“One by one they strut, chameleons,

fishnetted darlings with red lips

that imply: diablerie. These women

slip into the diabolical roles”

I chose this quote because I love how much of an oxymoron this part is. For example, darling is an endearing term used as an affectionate way address to someone, yet it is followed by calling that same darling a wild charismatic devilish type person which is given away by the color on their lips. Also adding how their modeling career is a call to the devil. A diabolical role, that makes you camouflage into the specific role that the industry wants.

The POV is an onlooker, possibly the inspiration. Laughing/ disgusted/ distrust at/towards the style ex. “glorified dog collars”. And also hinting at possibly a similar way of life, they’re a “player but don’t pay for it”. And a possible inspiration because it says “I am someone’s muse” Then again bringing back the laughing/ distrust when they say “I want to trust the mohair’ ‘I want to trust the cloth” but the things the industry focuses on are your every flaws. so you mustn’t have any.

The Tite is also a tell at the POV, because the title says “Anna May Wong Rates the Runway” she is quite literally a critic. Who may also play into it but we aren’t sure. she’s mysterious, and critical.

I really liked this poem. It’s an interesting approach on fashion and the industry. It also gives us a look behind the curtain, shedding light on the frustrations of modeling, ex. the sexist stereotypes and the sexualized expectations of the show that’s being sold and the standards they are held to that degrade them.